


A vacation by the Sea

by Tethys_resort



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Established Relationship, Family, Guilt, M/M, Ocean, Puzzles, Redemption, Singing, Travel, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-23 18:17:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21085724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tethys_resort/pseuds/Tethys_resort
Summary: Glorfindel and Erestor finally get a vacation.  A working vacation....





	A vacation by the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings for: guilt, mental health problems, homelessness, reference to suicide. As always, if you have questions about this work, please contact me.

It was by sheerest chance that Glorfindel saw the beginning. 

He was in the main offices, delivering a written status report on the condition of the Guard. Because he was technically of the same rank and Elrond was a close and trusted friend, he was sprawled into the guest chair in the office with a cup of tea also giving an informal assessment of how training non-combatants was going when Lindir brought the music. 

Glorfindel had yet to hear the story of how the young minstrel had ended up the sole professional musician in the House of Elrond. Just a while back, two more minstrels had literally appeared in the night and been added to the House at Lindir’s request and under his charge. Thus Lindir had become the youngest senior staff member in the House. Despite the delicate features and skinny frame, Lindir had proven surprisingly determined in training with the Guard. Too bad the only true combat talent he had shown was the ability to stay on a horse through anything they could set up in the training field.

Currently he was peering tentatively around the edge of the doorframe, the light brown hair draping over his eyes made him look particularly waif-like. “Lindir, can I help you?” asked Elrond. 

Lindir smiled happily. “Lord Gildor sent me more music, and I wanted to show you when you had time.” 

“Oh excellent, it’s been over a hundred years since the Wandering Company had new music for us. Give it here and call Erestor in too.” Elrond sounded delighted. “Glorfindel, you’ll want to stay for this one.”

Glorfindel was baffled. He and Erestor both liked music, but what was so special about music from the Wandering Company? Who are the Wandering Company? 

His questions only multiplied when Erestor appeared behind Lindir with a speed that could only mean he had dropped everything and come running. He wore a feral grin as he said, “Lindir says that Lord Gildor sent us music?” 

Elrond was busy scanning what looked, to Glorfindel at least, like any other sheet music he had encountered: a mystifying maze of little black dots with flags, squiggles and lots of lines with lyrics in between. “Oyster harvests, the sound of the birds in the marsh, groves of apple trees on the hills surrounded by herds of wild ibex. The view across the Sea brings tears in the harsh wind.”

Erestor was scanning shelves and pulling out and replacing documents. Elrond continued, “The snow appears on the mountains early in the autumn and the maple trees turn color quickly and then the wind blows the leaves away.”

“Got it.” Erestor handed a map over his shoulder to Lindir, who started unrolling it on the desk as Erestor restacked the files. “That’s got to be it, those bays are against the mountains and have good oyster beds.”

Glorfindel was beginning to feel like they were playing one of the board games in the main Hall, without knowing which game or the associated rules. He reached down his bond with Erestor and gently tapped. 

Erestor sent a wave of understanding back but no information as he, Elrond and Lindir leaned over the map. Glorfindel stared at the map, it was a small section of the north coast whose mountains looked straight toward where Himring used to lie. 

Elrond straightened and met Lindir’s eyes, “During our last chess match, King Gil-Galad was explaining that well organized Houses function as an interlocking unit but in such a way that no one elf is critical to the functioning of the whole.”

“Yes, my Lord. Everyone likes well organized Houses.” Lindir smiled impishly. “Dinner should always arrive on time!”

Elrond grinned back. “Yes, everyone likes regular meals…. At any rate, I have decided to test out and see truly how organized the House of Elrond is. Maybe I can make a bet with the King over how well we’ll do….” Then, losing the smile and turning to eye Erestor and Glorfindel, “It is apparent to me as a healer that you both could use a break and vacation. I have obviously been overworking you both.”

Glorfindel opened his mouth but Elrond ran his budding protest straight down by turning to Erestor, “How long do you expect to set things up for you to depart for a while?”

“We can leave tomorrow my Lord.” Erestor usually remembers titles when anyone other than he and Glorfindel are around. 

“Good! Have a wonderful time and be back by the time snow starts to fall: we’ll have Winter Court events to plan by then and I’ll need both of you. See me before you depart. Dismissed.” Elrond rolled the map back up and handed it to Erestor and ostentatiously went back to paperwork. 

Lindir bounced out of the room at speed. Erestor, still holding the map, said down their bond, _“Come on. We have to pack and I’ll explain in our rooms.”_

Glorfindel followed Erestor back upstairs to their rooms, thinking hard. Elrond got secret information from a mysterious sheet of music and a code. Elrond fed Lindir an excuse to spread about court for his and Erestor’s absence for months: this is a secret big enough many people would be upset if they knew. He has been Captain of the Guard for decades and didn’t know this secret.

Erestor walked into their suite, set the map down on the table and sat primly down on the couch, looking elegant and formal in his robes of office. Glorfindel shut the door, locked it and turned to stare at Erestor. Erestor said, _“Sit with me?”_

Even in their rooms Erestor won’t say what is happening out loud. Glorfindel’s stomach lurched as he sat down next to Erestor. Erestor promptly pulled him closer and pulled his head down to gently plant kisses on his face, neck and ears. _“Please don’t be upset Glorfindel. I’m sorry I never said anything before, it’s been over a hundred years since we’ve had news and I simply forgot to tell you. Its only that we have always been afraid of spies and people in the House who would panic and do or say something stupid for this one.”_ Erestor’s voice in his mind sounds apologetic.

Glorfindel allowed himself to relax under the kisses, and as he relaxed Erestor pulled him down against a robed shoulder. _“Do you remember how the Oath of Feanor ended?”_

Glorfindel shuddered, it would be hard to forget. Erestor’s voice quietly continued in his head, “_One last defiance against the Valar and a massacre in Manwe’s camp to regain the Silmarils.”_

_“And Maedhros leapt to his death and Maglor…”_ Glorfindel’s train of thought ground to a halt. What had happened to Maglor? All the stories said “vanished”. 

_“Exactly. His hands were burnt and he set off to sing his regrets to the Sea forever. He threw the Stone into the Sea, an offering of despair to Ulmo...”_ Erestor’s mental tone turned bitter. _“A lovely ending to an evening’s morality tale but leaving Lord Maglor lost and in pain. It is so much easier to not think of a Feanorian who obviously should suffer his fate.”_

Suddenly a lot more made sense. Elrond loved his foster fathers. _“This Gildor sent word?”_

_“Of where Lord Maglor was seen or rumored to be. He writes a musical score containing the location and anything else of note.”_ Erestor sighed before continuing on quietly in Glorfindel’s mind, _“Gildor is Lord Gildor Inglorion, the son of one of Finrod’s Lords. The Wandering Company is his House. He is a great musician who would rescue Maglor himself for the sake of music if Maglor would stop running. We all figure Elrond or I have a better chance of catching or luring him in. And Elrond running off like that wreaks havoc in the Palace, as now Herald he is under too much scrutiny for this one.”_

Glorfindel visualized the screams of outrage if it were known that Lord Elrond Earendilion was determined to rescue one of the great villains of the First Age. He said out loud, “It’s nice we get a vacation. After we pack, remind me to set up some stuff with the guard and put my second in charge formally. She can use the practice.”

***

Late summer dust rose from the horse’s hooves as they ambled down the well-used road right outside of Lindon, headed west toward the true coast along the great bay. Glorfindel and Erestor were well used to packing and traveling light, and only basic arms and some good survival gear were needed this time. Handing off their duties to their stunned underlings had been equally easy. If things started to get out of hand in their absence, Elrond would easily rein the whole thing in. 

Last night in the dining hall, Erestor had heard Lindir gossiping with an entire group from the kitchens about how King Gil-Galad had bet Elrond that his House would fall apart without his two most important retainers. Speculation was rampant on the bet’s prize. He was sure that Lindir would do an excellent job of spreading a varied assortment of rumors of bets and overwork. 

(Glorfindel and Erestor would later find out that Elrond had that very afternoon walked into King Gil-galad’s private office and made the bet, for “dinner, dessert and wine for the winner and five friends at the best dining establishment in Lindon” and then called a staff meeting proclaiming an entire House party if they could all hold it together until Glorfindel and Erestor returned.) 

He glanced over at Glorfindel. His mate was humming happily as he admired the orchards on this side of Lindon. He tapped at Glorfindel through their bond. Glorfindel looked toward him with a smile. “Hmm?”

“Where do you want to sleep tonight? We can stay at one of the inns along this road or camp.” This is the first time the two of them have gone on a trip without anyone else.

“What do you usually do?”

“Eat dinner at an inn and then camp out.” Erestor doesn’t like inns, he doesn’t know the buildings well and it would be an easy trap. 

From Glorfindel’s expression, some of that apparently leaked down their bond. “Okay, we’ll camp well off the road where we can hear anyone coming.” 

They continued riding a little while longer before Glorfindel said, “I’d never stayed in an inn before coming back to Middle Earth. In Valinor we always camped, and in Beleriand we were either outside or in someone’s keep. Did you know we stayed a night at Maglor’s Keep in the Gap? He was very surprised when we rode in but gave us food, shelter and travel advice.”

Erestor blinked. “What possible reason could you have for being there?”

Glorfindel sighed and his face lost the happy expression as he stared back through the years. “We were lost and looking for Aredhel. We eventually figured out she’d wandered through the dark forest, successfully found her cousins and then ended up with Eol but she’d already bonded with him and refused to come home. I really wish now that we’d just tied her and thrown her over a saddle like Egalmoth suggested.” 

He trailed off for a few minutes while Erestor tried to figure out what to say: all the history books said she had simply disappeared. 

As he watched his mate ride in silence, no longer humming, Erestor reflected that it was all too easy sometimes to accidentally say or not say something. Not specifically with Glorfindel, in all of them with too many memories they would rather forget. He could sympathize with the heavy guilt that Glorfindel is currently feeling but doesn’t agree. “Glorfindel?”

No response. Now there was a twinge of guilt in Erestor’s stomach. He tapped at Glorfindel’s mind again. No response except a smothering sensation of regret. 

Time for drastic measures. Erestor had noticed a little while back that Glorfindel CAN’T block him out if they are physically touching. He could just get close enough to catch Glorfindel’s hand but Glorfindel’s big bay could carry two for just a little while without any strain (at least if they weren’t both the size of Glorfindel and wearing armor or something). So he kicked his feet out of the stirrups, and light without the drag of formal robes or armor, leapt and balanced on the roll of tent strapped behind Glorfindel’s saddle. Before Glorfindel could flinch or protest he was seated snuggly behind his mate, with his arms wrapped tightly around his chest and his nose against his hair. 

That got a response. “Ack! Erestor! What are you doing?” Glorfindel tried to turn and stare at his new passenger and Erestor hurriedly shifted before they both overbalanced out of the saddle. 

Once they were resettled Erestor leaned forward so that he was holding his mate in a hug again. _“Glorfindel?”_ he tried again. Glorfindel twitched, unable to shut Erestor out. _“Glorfindel, Aredhel dying was not your fault. Neither was Gondolin falling.”_

Out loud, Glorfindel said, “She was sure she would be happy, she hated the city.”

“She hated Gondolin and she was in love with Eol, right?” Erestor wonders if he can logic guilt away, it’s never worked on all the things he’s guilty for but it is the best weapon he has to try and cheer up his mate.

“Yes. Or at least she thought she was. He was exciting and she was ever attracted to mysteries and excitement. Fingolfin wanted her to marry one of the Lords of the Gondolindrim, but she was bored by us.”

“And he treated her well?”

“All the time we were there. Ecthelion and I argued that at least this way she’d be farther from Morgoth, south of the Girdle of Melian. When she came back with Maeglin it was obvious we’d made a horrible mistake.” Erestor winced, in Glorfindel’s mind he can see images of tender skin marked and scarred. 

He continued quietly, “Maeglin was always quiet after she died. He eventually made friends with Salgant and we were happy he finally seemed to be settling into Gondolin.”

Erestor tightened his arms, squeezing ribs. “Well, my unbiased judgement is that all three of you did your best. It isn’t your fault Aredhel decided to run away from home, it isn’t your fault she got married, it isn’t your fault Eol killed Aredhel. Maeglin isn’t your fault either because you aren’t capable of being anything other than friendly and kind. And that means that the Fall of Gondolin can’t be your fault either.”

Glorfindel huffed out a slight laugh. “And if I asked Elrond I would get the same answer?”

“Yes. And then he would haul you off the Healing Hall for a thorough inspection of your obviously damaged skull.” 

That sparked a real laugh. Erestor relaxed a little and they rode in silence down the empty road. Then he couldn’t resist and said, “If ordered, would you have tried courting Aredhel?”

Glorfindel froze, shocked at the question before doubling over in bright happy laughter. “I would have run away!”

That night they camped under the trees of a high hill overlooking the road. It was warm enough they didn’t need a fire, the picnic they had purchased from the inn at dusk was delicious and the stars were bright. Erestor was beginning to enjoy this trip. 

***

Once they were close to the right area, Glorfindel and Erestor slowed down. From here it would be a matter of looking for signs of Maglor. 

Glorfindel had come to love the days of searching, exploring and finding food (they had some, but dry rations are nothing compared to fresh plants, fish and game). There were no settlements of Elves or Men this direction on the coast (at least until you reached the land of Ice and the Northmen) and almost no danger of orcs. They took to foraging as they tracked their way north, looking for signs of Maglor. 

They found the occasional weeks old sign of a group of Elves, Erestor suspected it was the Wandering Company heading south. Erestor had hoped to meet with them along the journey and ask questions but they apparently had dropped off their letter and headed straight south towards the colonies of Numenor. 

This day they had reached tide pools in a rocky section of coastline. Glorfindel had never spent much time by the ocean, at least liquid ocean. He suspected the Grinding Ice would count as “ocean” but it had very definitely been mostly frozen. (Unfortunate emphasis on MOSTLY.) Nevrast and Lindon were both in sandy bays, with long beaches. 

Erestor had announced that they would find dinner in the tide pools and camp up away on the bluffs above the shore. Staring into the water of one of the pools, Glorfindel considered that the natural history books he had read had not prepared him for decisions on what was edible or not. The seaweed growing in red curly clumps he thinks was on the list of food. The round purple thing slowly walking across the bottom in a halo of spines was a little more unresolved. 

“Erestor? If I touch something will it bite, stab or sting me?” 

Erestor looked up from where he was staring into a deeper pool at what looked like an entire little field of oval red rocks. “It depends. If you try to pick up a jelly it will hurt, and crabs pinch. What did you find?”

“A walking purple chestnut.”

“A what?” Erestor came over to look. “That’s a sea urchin. Some people like them grilled over a fire, I always thought they were weird.”

“What’s this one?” Glorfindel indicated a little forest of lime green columns decorated with teal and yellow tentacles waving in the current.

“Sea anemones. They sting but with this type the stingers are too tiny and it just tickles. Go ahead and poke them.” Erestor smiled, “Elros and Elrond enjoyed the beach, Lord Maglor would spend all day naming the animals for them.”

Glorfindel reached into the water and obediently poked a sea anemone and then jumped as it immediately squeezed itself into a little nub against the rock, all tentacles hidden away. It was such a weird thing to watch that he tried again. 

Erestor tiptoed around to him on the slippery rocks, carrying a flat leathery, orange and red creature that he plopped into Glorfindel’s hands. “Here, a starfish. Don’t keep it out of the water long and put it back over on those rocks when you are done looking.”

Glorfindel laughed at the little suction feet on the bottom side of the creature as it curled around his fingers and then took it back to where there were hundreds of the things, stuck to the rocks and enduring the waves crashing on them. When he came back, Erestor had their basket and was carefully prying fat purple mussels from a section of rocks. He smiled at his mate and said, “Here, Glorfindel. Look at that, you don’t usually see sea cucumbers this shallow.”

Glorfindel stared at the brown and orange, vaguely phallic creature sprawled in shallow water between the rocks and tentatively poked. To his surprise it gushed water with a squish. Erestor laughed at Glorfindel’s expression, “Don’t poke too much or it will throw up its guts on you.” Glorfindel backed off hurriedly lest he accidentally terrorize it to death, what a horrible way for a creature to die! 

Erestor laughed harder at Glorfindel’s dismay and said, “It grows them back!” 

Dinner that night was mussels and sea snails with rice, stewed with seaweed and spices from their kit and a few fish Erestor had managed to tease out from under rocks. Dessert was ripe apples from the trees wild on the hills. Glorfindel had chased tiny crabs about the cove beach, decided that sea snails and land snails were about the same, peered at barnacles and encountered a large angry eel. 

Glorfindel quietly sang his favorite song to Elbereth that night as he watched the stars and Erestor slept against his chest. 

He had always thought maybe he had been sent back by the Valar to fix his mistakes. But this trip had him wondering if he had been sent back as a reward because he had done it right the first time and could be trusted to do it right again. Whatever “it” was. 

Glorfindel thought maybe this would be the perfect life: getting explore with Erestor and no threat of Sauron or war in their future. He ran a hand down Erestor’s hair and pulled him a little closer before settling into sleep himself.

***

The nights were starting to get chilly enough to consider sleeping in the tent and putting blankets on the horses when they finally found something. 

Glorfindel spotted it first, bare footprints across the muddy flats of the shallow bay they were searching. The footprints straggled around the flats and trying to get clues of the owner, Glorfindel and Erestor trailed the set about the marsh. To cattails, where a few had been pulled, and down to a shallow spot in the water where it appeared they had caught a fish. The trail had ended as the walker had strolled up a creek to a sheltered spot under some willows and had a fireside meal of cattail roots, fish and apples. 

They took more care in their search after that and slowly found more signs of varying ages. A tiny rock cubby in the cliffs at the base of the mountains had been used as a rain shelter multiple times. A deeper rock shelter had a cache of apples carefully sliced, lined up to dry and Sung to keep out rodents. 

They climbed up to a ledge near the top of one mountain on the point and Erestor said, “Look, Himring!” Squinting into the distance, Glorfindel could see the jagged peak against the clouds.

Erestor stared for the longest time as Glorfindel watched the shore below, weather and for the tiny possibility that Maglor would simply show up in front of them. As it grew late and slightly hazy, Erestor wiped his eyes and said, “I don’t know if the Keep would be above water or not, the peak has eroded and I can’t find enough landmarks.”

That night Erestor clung tightly to Glorfindel as he slept. 

They tracked the freshest signs into the next bay north and found a very fresh camp. Glorfindel was contemplating the carefully (but not quite perfectly) hidden remains of the campfire when Erestor said, “I think we really have found Maglor and he’s running.”

“What do we do?” The idea of chasing Elrond’s lost and damaged foster father and potentially injuring him as he fled or chasing him away from a stable place to live didn’t have much appeal. 

Erestor frowned, “This is the closest I’ve managed to get, I’ve only ever found footprints weeks old. Gildor says that occasionally he hears Maglor singing when they’ve been out on a moon party.”

That night they camped in an exposed location on a hilltop with a good view of the ocean and stars. They lit a small fire, mostly so that they would be visible for miles and Glorfindel tried eating his first ever octopus. (It had been captured mostly by accident when Glorfindel had picked up its rock and it had objected by biting him.)

Then they curled up, with Erestor as usual tucked against Glorfindel’s chest, and started on the second phase of the plan: to take turns singing in the hopes of luring Maglor to the fire. Glorfindel had never heard Erestor sing before and was delighted to discover he had a mellow, soothing voice perfect for the lullabies he chose. 

The moon had passed its height in the sky and was beginning to descend toward the Sea when Erestor whispered, _“Listen!”_ in Glorfindel’s mind as he sang. Without pausing the sweet old tune about flowers blooming in the light of the Trees, Glorfindel listened and hear it: a faint echo of the song, up in the crags overlooking the bay. As he ended the song, Erestor sang the Noldolante: he had heard it often enough growing up. 

That time it was clearly echoed and the voice was accompanied by an overwhelming Song full of grief, guilt and despair. Glorfindel cringed and blocked as much of the Song as he could and pulled Erestor deeper into his arms to try and shield him a little as Erestor shuddered and struggled to keep singing. Erestor had said before that Maglor was the strongest Singer he had ever met and Glorfindel now believed it. 

Despite crying helplessly, Erestor managed to finish the song and Glorfindel took up the next one, choosing another old song about coming home to warm fires after walking through snowy woods. The voice matched that song too but its version was Sung with woe for fires and homes lost. Erestor was still crying, so Glorfindel simply moved into another song. It was the first that came to mind under pressure, a Vanyar lullaby his mother had sung. It spoke of second chances and new things starting. The voice did not echo this song but Glorfindel could feel its regard out there in the dark beyond the fire. 

As he sang, Erestor got himself under control and as the lullaby ended took a deep breath and called out into the night, “Lord Maglor, if you would come we would take you home with us. Elrond misses his father and would see him again.”

Silence, of the sort a frightened and cornered creature would have, filled the air. 

Erestor continued, “If you will not come we will not force you but would ask permission to find you again sometimes, to sing. We leave for the south in the morning and are intending to leave extra supplies behind. Use them if you will.”

They waited, holding their breaths. Then a Teleri song of a white gull looking forever for land on an endless sea whispered in the night and faded away as the voice moved off. There was no Song behind it and there was empty silence to follow. Wordlessly, they simply curled up where they lay and went to sleep for the remainder of the night.

In the morning they unloaded their bags and abandoned tent, extra clothing, gear, blankets and food into another sheltered crevice almost deep enough to be a true cave. They left just enough to get themselves and their horses back to the closest village. Then, without looking back they walked their horses south. Frost from rapidly approaching winter crunched under their horses’ feet. 

As they walked steadily around the next small bay to the south, they heard a song distant on the wind. It was the song to Elbereth that Glorfindel so often sang at night and carried a Song of safe traveling and full stomachs. Erestor glanced back and said quietly, “Look!”

There, faint against the sky on the mountain ledge that looked toward Himring, was a thin and distant figure with long dark hair blowing in the wind. 

They turned their horses and continued south and the song faded behind them.

Glorfindel and Erestor arrived back at the Holly Wing of the Palace on the first days of hard frost in the more temperate climate of Lindon. They visited Elrond working in his office first. 

Elrond jumped up from his desk to hug his friends, the House had done fine without them but he had missed them. He tried to hide his eagerness as he asked, “How was your trip? Did you find anything?”

Glorfindel shook his head sadly and said, “No, we looked and looked and couldn’t find anything.”


End file.
